SPEARFISH, S.D. - #5 Colorado School of Mines put up big offensive numbers as it stayed undefeated with a 41-20 road win at Black Hills State.

The Orediggers (6-0, 4-0 RMAC) generated 514 yards of offense led by John Matocha's career-high 362 yards and four touchdowns in the air. Michael Zeman ran for 116 yards and a score while Josh Johnston caught three touchdowns and Tristan Smith had 10 receptions for 117 yards and a score.

The RMAC's top-rated offense entering Week 6, Black Hills State (4-2, 2-2 RMAC) flashed a few long scoring drives and were effective on the ground, but ultimately were hurt by turnovers and their passing game as they were held to 278 total yards. Mack Minnehan and Logan Rayburn generated turnovers for Mines.

Matocha had an exceptional game, going 29-of-35 (82.9 percent) for 362 yards, and he also ran for 36 yards. He hit seven different receivers led by Smith, with Johnston collecting 91 yards, Isaiah Kroll 51, Mason Karp 45, and Zeman adding 42 to his daily total.

BHSU running back Matthew Collier had 125 yards and a touchdown to lead the Yellow Jackets. Quarterback Chance Eben was limited to 11-of-25 passing for 95 yards, throwing two touchdowns and an interception.

The Orediggers' opening drive stalled just outside the red zone but Jacob Click was true from 38 yards for the 3-0 lead, and a Mack Minnehan interception at midfield gave the Orediggers great field position moments later. That series ended with a 25-yard Matocha pass to Josh Johnston, who made a toe-tap catch at the sideline for six.

Mines opened the second quarter with Johnston's second touchdown of the game, a 22-yard snag in the end zone, and a quick defensive out led to more points as Click hit from 31 yards midway through the second for a 20-0 lead. 

BHSU's offense finally got going late in the half to get them on the board with Matthew Collier's 17-yard touchdown run with 3:59 left in the half, and the Yellow Jackets halted Mines a yard short of a 4th-and-20 conversion in the red zone late in the quarter. That let them threaten again as Collier's 49-yard gain put them in Mines territory, then they picked up a 4th-and-1 conversion on the way to a Chance Eben 21-yard touchdown pass to Kielar Harpham with seven seconds left in the half.

After the defense got off the field quickly to start the third quarter, Mines marched downfield but was again stopped short of the goal line, and Click's attempt from 27 in a strong wind was wide left. The defense again forced a 3-and-out to return the ball at the BHSU 45, and three plays later Matocha connected to a wide-open Johnston for a 29-yard score. Black Hills gave the ball away on a fumbled backwards pass to the flat that Logan Rayburn pounced on, and three plays later it was Smith who caught a pass over the middle, hit a stiff arm, and rolled 30 yards to the end zone to break the game open at 34-14.

Black Hills scored to open the fourth quarter, capping a long drive with Jamin Wurtz's seven-yard touchdown catch on 4th & goal, but the PAT missed to make it 34-20. Mines had to punt after that, but got a fourth-down stop at midfield to return the ball with 6:04 left, and scored less than four minutes later on Zeman's 13-yard slash to the end zone. 

NOTABLES
- Mines extended its RMAC winning streak to a program-record 15 consecutive games dating back to the 2018 season. 
- Johnston, who has touchdown catches in all six games this season, matched his career-high of three scoring grabs set twice in the 2019 season. He leads the RMAC with nine touchdowns this season.
- Zeman went over 100 yards rushing for the fifth time this season in another workhorse effort, carrying the ball 29 times. 
- Over his last two games, Matocha is 50-of-60 (83.3%) passing. 
- Nolan Reeve had an outstanding game to lead the defense with nine tackles and a sack. 
- Minnehan's interception was his third total turnover of the year as Mines is now +8 overall. He also had seven tackles and a sack in the game.
- Click's first-quarter field goal was the first of his career and was Mines' longest of the season.
- One of the nation's least-penalized teams, flags uncharacteristically hurt Mines, especially in the first half, as they had six against them for 75 yards overall.
- Black Hills State entered the game #1 in NCAA Division II in first downs at 28 per game, and was held to 16. The Yellow Jackets averaged an RMAC-best 477.4 yards per game and were limited to 278. 
- Mines led the time of possession for the sixth straight game at 32:02. 
- The Orediggers improved to 11-0 all-time against Black Hills State. Mines has not scored less than 40 points in any of those 11 wins. 

NEXT UP
Mines returns home to host South Dakota Mines on Oct. 16 at noon.